PhD Studentship in Chemical Engineering and Advanced Materials: Novel materials for hydrogen production via chemical looping@ Newcastle University

School of Chemical Engineering and Advanced Materials

Newcastle University

This PhD project will explore the development of more efficient economic and environmentally friendly hydrogen production processes. Hydrogen is increasingly becoming an integral part of the economy as it is essential in many industrial processes as well as an emerging fuel for internal combustion engines and fuel cell technology. One promising method is chemical looping, which is a process in which a solid oxygen carrier is cyclically reduced and oxidised.
In our group, chemical looping is used to produce hydrogen via water splitting performed over a reduced oxygen carrier. The main challenges to this method of hydrogen production are finding an oxygen carrier with a high oxygen capacity, good cyclic stability, and reactivity. In this project, novel and composite materials will be developed to compete with conventional oxygen carriers.
The aim is to study these novel materials to better understand the effect of structure and composition on oxygen carrier performance as well as to demonstrate that these materials are viable candidates for hydrogen production via chemical looping.
Sponsor: Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council EPSRC (DTA)
Name of supervisor(s) Professor IS Metcalfe, School of Chemical Engineering and Advanced Materials
Eligibility Criteria
You should have an upper-second-class Honours degree or higher or international equivalent, in chemical engineering, chemistry, materials science or a related subject.
If English is not your first language, you should have IELTS 6.5 or equivalent
You must also have the potential for performing original research.

Funding information

Funding applies to:

Open to applicants from a range of countries

Funding notes:

A full award covers tuition fees at the UK/EU rate for the duration and an annual stipend of £14,296. A partial award covers fees at the UK/EU rate only.
Depending on how you meet the EPSRC’s eligibility criteria the award is available to UK/EU applicants. In the case of outstanding International candidates it may be possible that the University will make an award to cover the difference in tuition fees.

Contacts and how to apply

Academic contact:

If you are interested in the above project and meet the criteria you should send a C.V, covering letter plus two references to Professor Metcalfe i.metcalfe@ncl.ac.uk

Administrative contact and how to apply:

The successful applicant will then be asked to apply for University admission using the University's online postgraduate application form. Unsuccessful applications will not receive an acknowledgement.
•Insert the program code 8030F in the program of study section.
•Select ‘PhD School of Chemical Engineering and Advanced Materials - Chemical Engineering' as the programme of study.
•Insert the studentship code CE043 in the studentship/partnership reference.
•Attach a covering letter and C.V. The covering letter must state the title of the studentship, quote reference code CE043 and state how your interests and experience relate to the project.
•Attach degree transcripts and certificates and, if English is not your first language, a copy of your English language qualifications.
Prompt application is advised as this position is only available until a suitable candidate is found.
Looking for a PhD? We will also be attending the PostgraduateStudentships PhD Funding Fair in London in December. Find out more here